Favorite 3/8 Ratchet

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Whats your favorite? I have several, Crapsman, SK, Snap On F80 and a couple more. I usually grab the Snap On for some reason. Even though the handle is slick, it just feels good in the hand. And the 80 tooth ratchet feels tighter.
 
Stahlwille 80T, Proto Round Head, Proto 24T, Carlyle 90T & 72T,...so many. The Stahlwille is smoother than the S-o dual 80.
 
Older craftsman. But lately i really like Blackhawk ratchets. The are made by Proto. They are smooth 72 tooth and feel good in the hand. I have them in 1/2. 3/8 and a tiny 1/4 drive.

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Stanley extendable ratchet. Its the cheapest ratchet in my tool drawer, but I use it the most. When I extend the handle, I can get serious torque on the fastener. Should be reaching for a 1/2 drive, but I just beat the snot out of it, and it never fails. Ive owned one of these ratchets for over 15 years. I flat wore the last one out. I called Stanley and asked to buy a rebuild kit. They told me to throw my current ratchet in the trash, and they sent me a brand new one, for free. Great service, wonderful even, considering the price point of the tool.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/STANLEY-STMT72418-Extendable-Ratchet/36132572
 
Ratchets are one thing where I feel Snap On is clearly superior to the competition. I think their Dual 80 ratchets are the best. Although I must say, I have a few Carlyle ratchets, and they're pretty darn good for the money.
 
Originally Posted by Chris142
The fine tooth plastic coated one from harbor freight.


This is me. I use the flex head 3/8 ratchet from Harbor Freight as my daily ratchet. I've warrantied it 4 times now. That's not because it's bad ratchet, It's just what works. It's definitely not the top of the line, but boy does it work. I've put this ratchet through [censored], and it's taken it like a champ. The amount of torque I've put on the thing in insane. When is breaks? I bring it back. No questions asked, I get a new one. No receipt necessary. I'm using the ratchet far outside the "usage" group for any tool at HF, but if they want to be in the game they have to step up and play ball. I applaud their effort to break into th4 tool market.
 
My favorite is a 3/8" Snap On 80 tooth, although I like the Gear Wrench 3/8" 120 XP's a lot too. The one I seem to use the most is a Craftsman US made 3/8" swivel head ratchet, which had a fairly long handle.
 
I still like the old school SK ratchets. I even have the awesome little stubby 3/8 SK. Nice.

As a professional aircraft wrench, I find it's a general rule that Snappy tools work best. But I'll have to disagree on the Snap On ratchets. I don't like the lever, as it's always getting knocked to the other side when in incredibly tight positions. Also, Snappy ratchets can have high drag.

I purchased the Snappy 3/8 stubby that's made from a 1/4 inch ratchet. YUK. High drag, too few teeth. Near useless for the tight locations it should be made for.


This one is among my favorites, as it's smooth, easy to grip in tight locations, has just the right number of teeth etc:

[Linked Image from sktools.com]



This one never gets used, mostly due to high drag:

[Linked Image from public.snapon.com]
 
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Another vote for SK. This one is my go-to for most jobs. Less drag than Snap On and no lever to get knocked around in tight spaces.

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I saw someone mention Gear Wrench. The Gear Wrench ratchets and combos I have had have been pure junk. I brought a few back to Sears in the past for warranty replacement when they gave up through normal use and no abuse. I have Mac's,Husky's,Craftsman,HF and they are all far superior to anything Gear Wrench ever produced. I have to say for bang for the buck it's Husky. My best ratchet in 3/8" is a Mac that I found next to the road a couple decades ago.
 
The long 3/8 Snap on dual 80, 36T Hazet, 80T Stahlwille, the plastic pro from HF, the made in England Stanly 3/8 micro head (also sold by Mac) and a couple of others are my go to depending on the job.
For 1/4 the Master Mechanic from a hardware store across from the shop over 40 years ago (USA made by SK or Blackhawk IIRC) is my all time favorite and I still use it all the time, too bad they are not made anymore.
For getting into very tight places and low torque small fasteners the tiny Hazet is a god send, the Snap on long and Gearwrench XP 120 long and flex are a definite go to.

1/2 are Snap on dual 80, Hazet, Stalwille and Proto 15" (new style USA made) are always in use. I have well over 30 ratchets, some I don't like much for one reason or another and just keep because they are good quality but others I would hate to loose or break. Some old Craftsman V are just for beating on and abuse now but were good tools just a little uncomforable.

Cujet, if you want to straighten that Snap on stubby out, just remove the seal so it is no longer a sealed ratchet and use ATF to lube it, throw it in a can of ATF over the weekend after use. Back drag will be almost negligible, its the grease they use and the seal that causes the drag. I got mine in 84 and it was not sealed when new and its lived in ATF with every other non sealed ratchet over the weekend ever since, its a good ratchet.
 
72 tooth Kobalt with a flex handle, and it's about 14 inches long.

Close 2nd is a stubby.
 
I'm a semi mechanic by occupation. My favorite 3/8" ratchet at work is a 90 tooth S&K. I did take it apart and oil it.

I bought this kit on Black Friday for $10 years ago and the Kobalt ratchet works really, really good. And the sockets saved the day when I had to install a new garage door spring
and deal with square head screw heads.
 
Armstrong pear shaped and Williams round head for USA nostalgia. Latest Craftsman. Old Craftsman round head. All the ones with socket release button.
 
Originally Posted by Wolfshead
SK !

Me, too. The only 3/8 (and 1/2) full-size I own since ~1980. But I probably get more use out of the silly Truecraft made-in-Japan fine-tooth 3/8 straight stubby I got sometime in the 80's than the others combined.
 
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